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T. A. EDISON. AUTOMATIC DETERMINING DEVICE FOR PHONOGRAEES. No. 406,573.Patented Ju 1y 9, 1889.

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T. A. EDISON.

AUTOMATIC DETERMINING DEVICE FOR PHONOGRAPHS.

No. 406,573. Patented July 9, 1889.

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, T. A. EDISON.- AUTOMATIG DETERMINING DEVICE FOR PHONOGRAPHS.

No. 406,573. Patented July 9, 1889.

I nn I 4' 1 ('7 6/ i I I I y 6 i3 5 G IIVVEIVTIOI? ATTORNEYS UNITEDSTATES PATE T OFFIC THOMAS A. EDISON, OF LLEWELLYN PARK, NEWV JERSEY.

AUTOMATIC DETERMINING DEVICE FOR PHONOGRAPHIS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 406,573, dated July 9,1889.

Application filed February 11, 1889- Serial No. 299,458. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it nmy concern.-

Be it known that I, THOMAS A. EDISON, a citizen of the United States,residing at Llewellyn Park, in the county of Essex and State of NewJersey, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in AutomaticDetermining Devices for Phonographs, (Case No. 826,) of which thefollowing is a specification.

In my application, (Case No. 818,) Serial No. 296,420, filed January 15,1889, I have described a preferred form of device for determiningautomatically the eXact position of the recording and reproducing pointson the phonogram-cylinder, whether thick or thin, and referred ingeneral terms to other forms of device to accomplish the same purposewhich I had tried.

My present invention relates particularly to that form of devicereferred to in said application, wherein a fixed determining-pointadapted to strike the surface of the phonogram-blank as thespectacle-frame is lowered is held in that position until a lock isoperated by hand to fix the relation of the parts, when thedetermining-point will be moved away from the surface of the waX, toprevent it from wearing such surface, by an independent movement of thelockin g mechanism; and the invention consists in the several noveldevices and combinations of parts hereinafter explained, and pointed.out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof, Figure 1 is a sideelevation of a form of device embodying my invention, showing thedetermining-point in contact with the phonogram-blank just prior to theoperation of the mechanism which looks the parts and removes thedetermining-point from the phonogramblank. Fig. 2 is a plan viewthereof. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a modification of the deviceshown in Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 4 is a detail of the sliding connectionbetween the locking-nut and locking-piece. Fig. 5 is a plan view of thedevice shown-in Fig. 3 with the spectacle-frame omitted. Fig.

6 is a side elevation of still another modification of my invention withthe parts ,l11'-ll1(3 same position as in Figs. 1 and 2, and Fig. 7 is aplan view thereof. I

Similar letters of reference in all the figures indicate correspondingparts.

Referring to all the figures, the spectacleframe A, which carries therecorder and reproducer, is similar in construction and mode ofoperation to the spectacle-frame described in my application abovereferred'to, and comprises two arms, but'one of which, B, is shown inthe drawings-one arm for each eye of the frame. These arms projectforward over the guide-rest O, and each arm is provided with apresser-foot D, which bears upon the guiderest and supports thespectacle-frame, as it moves in a definite relation to thephonogram-blank E.

The presser-foot D is an L-shaped plate mounted upon the lower end of abar F, which passes up through the arm B, said plate being provided,also, with a pin G to prevent its turning on the guide-rest. A spring His connected to a pin at the upper end of the bar F and with another pinupon the side of the arm B, and, drawing downwardly upon thebar F, tendsto project the presser-foot downwardly to the lowermost limit of itsmovement.

I is the bell-crank lever, the short arm of which is heavier than thelong arm, the long arm of which bears the determining-point J, thecontact of which with the phonogramblank determines the position of thespectacle-frame and connected parts with relation to thephonogram-blank.

K is a screw-threaded locking-piece working in the arm B, which isoperated by hand by turning the thumb-nut L until the locking-piece isforced into contact with the bar F, thereby locking the parts fromfurther movement.

M, in all the figures save 6 and 7, is a position-screw working in theend of the short arm of the bell-crank lever I, and the point of whichrests upon the upper surface of the tripper N, which is formed with adepression 0, and is operated by a movement of the thumb-nut L beyondthe point where the bar F is locked by it. In Figs. 6 and 7, M works inthe bar B, and upon its head rests ascrewpin bearing an L-shaped arm ofthe determining-lever. v

Referring particularly to Figs. 1 and 2, it will be seen that thethumb-nut L has a sliding connection with the locking-piece K by reasonof a spline O on that piece fitting into IOO a groove in the hub of thenut L, whereby the tripper N is tripped to throw the determiningpointout of contact with the plionogram. The nut L in these figures isprovided also with a grooved flange 1, into which engages adownwardly-projecting lip 2 of the trippinglever 3, the other end ofwhich lever is connected to the tripping-piece N, the motion of which islimited by the stop-pins 4 4.

Referring particularly to Figs. 3, 4c, and 5, it will be seen that therethe thumb-nut L also has a sliding connection with the lockv ing-pieceK, but the lip 2 is on the nut and the groove 1 in the tripping-piece N.

Referring particularly to Figs. 6 and 7, there it will be seen thatinstead of a sliding connection and tripping-arm operating a tripper thethumb-nut L has an L-shaped arm projecting inward and upward, whichcomes in contact, when the nutL is rotated sufficiently, with anotherL-shaped arm mounted on a threaded pin working through the upper portionof the short arm of the determining-lever, whereby the determining-leveris tripped out .of contact with the phonogram by the rotation of thescrew in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 7, sufficiently to raise itspoint, which brings the screw a short distance from the head of theposition-screw, when the weight of the short arm of the leveroverbalancing the weight of the long arm will drop the distance thescrew has been raised from the head of the position-nut, thereby raisingthe determining-point from the phonogramblank. A spring 4 throws the armof the pin back to its original position when the thumbnut is rotated inthe reverse direction. It will also be noticed that the locking-piece K,instead of bearing directly against the bar F to lock it, has a shaft 5passing through its center, each end of the shaft being provided with afriction-disk 6 6. The inner disk is designed to clamp the bar Fin thelocked position, and the outer disk receives the thrust of a coiledspring 7, located in a recess of the thumb-nut when the adjusting-screw8 is rotated to compress the spring. The object of this arrangement isto permit the locking of the bar F by the locking-piece and yet permit afurther rotation of the thumb-nut to eifect the removal of thedetermining-point from the phonogram-blank.

When the parts are properly adjusted to begin operations, the bar F, asthe spectacle frame is lowered, will be projected to its lowermostposition with reference to the bar B by the tension of the spring H. Assoon as the vpresser-foot strikes the guide-restits motion is arrested;but the downward motion of the spectacle-frame continues against thetension of the spring H, thereby producing an easy motion, which iscommunicated to the determining-point, obviating aj arrin g contact ofthe determining-point and phonogramblank, which might injure the blank.The

downward motion of the spectacle-frame continues until thedetermining-point comes in contact with the phonogram-blank, when theoperator locks the parts from further descent by means of the thumb-nuton the lockingpiece. The parts being locked, it is desirable to withdrawthe determining-point from contact with the phonogram-blank. This isdone by a further movement of the thumb-nut either by pulling the sameout on the spline, which connects it with the locking-piece, as in Figs.1 to 5, inclusive, or by still further rotating it, as in Figs. 6 and 7.This further movement of the thumb-nut in Figs. 1 to 5, inclusive, movesthe tripper, so that the high portion thereof is withdrawn from underthe short arm of the determining-lever and the depression thereonbrought into position under it. The short arm of the determininglever,being heavier than the long arm thereof, will drop into the depression,thereby raising the long arm with the determining-point out of contactwith the surface of the phonogram. The further rotation of the thumb-nutshown in Figs. 6 and 7 after the locking is effected brings the L-shapedarm thereon into contact with the L-shaped arm on the short arm of thedetermininglever and rotates it sufficient to bring the screw-threadedpin, with which it is rigidly connected, out of contact with theposition-screw, and the weight of the short arm of the determining-leverwill carry it down toward the position-screw the distance the screw ofthe determining-lever has been withdrawn from it, thereby raising thedeterminin g-point from the phonogram-blank suflicient to preventmutilation thereof.

What I claim is- 1. In a phonograph, the combination, with the recorderor reproducer frame movable toward and away from the .phonogram-surface,a guide-rest, and an adjustable presser-foot supporting the said framefrom the guiderest, of a determining-point carried by said frame anddetermining by contact with the phonogram-surface the exact position ofadjustment of the recording or reproducing point therewith, and a lockoperated by hand for locking the position of the spectacle-frame at suchpoint of adjustment, and a tripper tripping the determining-point awayfrom the phonogram-blank operated by a further movement of the lockingmechanism beyond that necessary to lock, substantially as specified.

2. In a phonograph, the combination, with the recorder or reproducerframe movable toward and away from the phonogram-snrface, a guide-rest,and an adjustable presser-foot supporting the said frame from theguiderest, of a lever and a determining-point carried by said lever anddetermining by contact with the phonogram-surface the exact position ofadjustment of the recording or reproducing point therewith, and a lockoperated by hand for locking the position of the spectacle-frame at suchpoint of adjustment, and a tripper tripping the determining-point awayfrom the phonogram-blank operated by a f urther movement of the lockingmechanism beyond that necessary to lock, substantiallyas specified.

3. 'In a phonograph, the combination, with a movable frame, aguide-rest, and adjustable presser-foot, of a lock operated by hand tolock the movable frame and atripper formed with a depression and a leverbearing the determining-point resting on said tripper, a, sliding headon the locking-piece, and a con- 1o nection between the tripper andsliding head,

whereby the tripper is operated to trip the determining-point away fromthe phonogramblank, substantially as specified.

This specification signed and witnessed this 1st day of February, 1889.

THOMAS A. EDISON.

Witnesses:

W. PELZER, D. H. DRISCOLL.

